Fantasy Basketball Rookie Report: Something is Building In Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Nets are trying. For the past two seasons, the Nets have been trying very hard. Now, what exactly are they trying to do?

It’s clear that they are looking to rebuild. The Nets are going with youth, and they are trying very hard to go about things the right way. However, at times, they aren’t very good about it. Jordi Fernandez has simply been too good at creating a hungry and hard-working team.

Last season, the Nets won too many games and drafted eighth overall. That led to what was, seemingly, a consolation selection of Egor Demin. Granted, it’s a small sample size, but that’s not proving to be the case. Additionally, the Nets added Danny Wolf, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, and Ben Saraf to their talent pool.

As we work towards the second half of the season, all five of these names are going to become fantasy relevant. Some will be more fleeting and inconsistent than others, but all five do carry potential. In this installment of the rookie report, let’s take a deeper look into two of Brooklyn’s new additions.

Fantasy Basketball Rookie Report

Egor Demin, G, Brooklyn Nets

It makes sense to start at the top here. The Nets were clearly all in on Egor Demin as they selected the point guard with their first pick, eighth overall, in the 2025 draft. As the Nets look to pivot towards being competitive, you can argue that they are already there to an extent. It’s clear that Demin is going to be a large part of that.

Adjusting to life in the NBA is never easy. It’s going to come with the requisite learning curve and adjustment period. But when you are a 19-year-old point guard with one year of college experience and a limited supporting cast, it’s that much more difficult.

As the Nets rested Demin in the second game of their back-to-back on Monday, it’s clear that they’re going to be careful with the point guard. While they initially brought Demin along slowly, you can see the guardrails beginning to be lifted. As it happens, Demin is also proving to be more than worthy.

Through 33 games, Demin is averaging 25 minutes per game. On the season, after a slow start, he’s averaging 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. The talent and upside are there, but Demin and his playmaking have been slow to develop. That’s also evidenced by his 39.9% shooting from the field.

In his last 11 games, though, from December 14 through January 11, you can see Demin’s progression and growth on display. Demin stepped up to 29 minutes per game and is scoring 14.9 points per game with 3.5 three-pointers. The best is yet to come for Demin, and we should be there from a fantasy perspective.

Danny Wolf, F, Brooklyn Nets

I think everyone, even the Brooklyn Nets, would agree that Michael Porter has surpassed their expectations. The problem, though, is that the Nets are perfectly fine with losing, and Porter has been preventing them from doing that. As Brooklyn looks to rest Porter, or perhaps trade him, Danny Wolf is going to be the beneficiary.

For that reason, Wolf needs to be on our fantasy basketball radar. The forward has shown flashes of production and efficiency when given the chance. As the season progresses, we can expect that continue.

On Sunday, when Porter was rested, Wolf took full advantage of the situation. In 25 minutes of action, Wolf scored 11 points while grabbing 10 rebounds, picking up two blocks and a steal.

In 23 games, Wolf has spent some time in the G-League, and he’s averaged 19.5 minutes per game. The efficiency was on full display with Wolf averaging 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. As Wolf gains more experience and picks up more playing time, the fantasy production will follow. There’s also a path to it.